Uninsured Virginians flock to free clinic

WISE, Va. | Doug Sproles, a resident of this far southwest corner of Virginia, describes basic heath care as going to a doctor, running up a bill he struggles to pay, then living with bad credit.

His story was similar to those of the thousands who came this weekend to the Wise County fairgrounds seeking free medical, dental or vision care from the Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps (RAM).

Mr. Wise, 32, who is unemployed, arrived at the fairground’s grassy parking lot Thursday afternoon with a tent, cooler and toothache. He didn’t want to miss getting a free root canal when the gates opened at 6 a.m. Friday.

Many residents in this region, compared with Virginia as a whole, have a higher incidence of death from cancer, diabetes, heart disease, pulmonary disease and suicide, according to state Health Department statistics.

Only 1,500 patients a day are admitted on the county fairgrounds, a number reached about an hour after the gates opened Friday morning. Hundreds were turned away; volunteers advised them to return Saturday morning.

“We heard it was going to be crowded, and this is the worst number I’ve got in the past three years,” Mr. Sproles, of Abingdon, Va., said while smoking a cigarette and holding a ticket marking him as patient No. 128. “I’ll just make the best of it.”

More than 8,400 procedures were performed last year, and organizers predicted more this year.

The 2 1/2-day clinic is the largest in the county by Knoxville, Tenn.-based RAM, said volunteer coordinator Jean Brady Jolly.

The organization stages one or two clinics a month, but most serve 500 to 800 people and focus on dental and vision services.

Services offered this weekend included treatments for high blood pressure, heart disease and mental health. In addition, there were colon-, cervical- and breast-cancer screenings.

About two hours after the gates opened Friday, 845 volunteers were busy doing everything from drilling teeth and listening to hearts to passing out coffee and doughnuts. The number of pre-registered volunteers was 1,645 - about 350 more than last year. More were expected before the event closes at noon Sunday.

The volunteers - including doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists - came from such organizations as the Health Wagon, the Lions Club of Virginia, the University of Appalachia College of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, the Virginia Dental Association and the University of Virginia Health System.

Procedures were done in tents and barns, where sheets were drawn across former horse stalls to create examination rooms.

Most of the patients came for dental and vision care, including Joyce Waddell, 64, from Hiltons, Tenn, who needed five teeth extracted.

“I’m in a lot of pain, and I can’t chew my food because my teeth hurt so bad,” she said. “Swallowing food whole is causing me all types of stomach problems, and I’ve been vomiting violently and fainting.”

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